8 Chocolate Eyes, Melting Steele
by SteeleHere44
Summary: Story 8. Mr. Steele, Laura and a case involving relatives.
1. Chapter 1

Chocolate Eyes; Melting Steele

Disclaimer:

Remington Steele and its characters are owned by MTM. No copyright infringement intended. For entertainment purposes only.

Set after Season 4. Bonds of Steele and Season 5 are not in my universe.

Chapter 1:

It was Friday afternoon. The week had been frantic. It had begun with an innocent case; one of those looking like easy to wrap. But it had developed into a big one with the FBI peeping at the end of it. Mr. Steele had decoded the key to solve it stealing the idea from a movie. It wasn't an original success after all, but the man couldn't be asked to be original every time. Besides, the combination of his ability as an ex-thief and conman added to his big screen knowledge was always an excellent resource at hand to close a case. Of course that those two qualities didn't have Laura's approval from the first day they had met. But after a long battle with her distrustful interior demons, frequently helped with Mr. Steele's own doubtful behavior; he had won her confidence through the years showing her with actions his desire to make a step ahead and leave his old life behind.

Miss Holt found his need to quote movies a bit awkward in the beginning. Mostly because she wasn't ready to accept that she wasn't the one solving a case after all the years she invested in her studies and training in her career. And the fact that he was doing it just copying the plot from a movie made it felt like he was cheating at some point. But she had learned through the years to think about his ability to quote movies not as a lousy waste of opportunities, but as a useful advantage to close a case.

As they were spending more and more time together as time went by; she had the chance to share a lot of his old movies' adoration outside work. She had noticed a couple of years ago that it was a key to his heart and the opportunity to show him also that not everything in his past deserved a criticism coming. And that she was ready to learn something from him; with him. They had jumped from the movie subject as a work tool to solve cases, to the chance to enjoy every opportunity watching them, adding to the process some other enlightening pleasures to make the equation extremely satisfactory.

Suddenly getting out of her reverie, Laura found herself opening the loft's door ready to return some of the items she had carried from there to Rossmore because they had been useful at some cases along the last months. She put the bag on the floor and stopped; turned on the lights, left the keys on the table and followed her old patterns when arriving home after a day at the office. The place looked exactly like when Laura was living there: the same furniture, the same pictures, the same books, the same piano. But there was an absence there she was noticing for the first time. She wasn't there anymore. The place had been a part of her present, a part of her life she had lived with enthusiasm, hope, and happiness; a part of her life where she had found every new challenge as fulfilling as the previous one. But it was over. It was a part of her past now. At that very moment, she realized she belonged to another place. Not bothering about unpacking the bag, she found the courage to go forward and exhaled a sigh. She had a decision taken. After giving a last look to the room, she grabbed the keys from the table, turned off the lights and walked toward the door. A fire had buried her old life in the past almost four years ago, but a new fire was pushing her into the future.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

His clothes were scattered all over the bed. The suitcase wasn't there yet, and instead of that, the bed didn't have a free place. Giving another look at his watch, he wondered where Laura would be. They'd left the office almost at the same time, but he had arrived home more than an hour ago, and there was no trace of her there yet. He set his mind again on the bed ready to follow on with his task when he heard the front door opening. Laura came in a rush into the bedroom, taking off her shoes on the way. Without taking his attention off from the packing, he nonchalantly told her, "I supposed you were going to be here earlier. Your brief detour wasn't as brief as you told me at the office."

"I got tangled in the transit. I wasn't counting on that. I forgot it is Friday's afternoon. Don't worry; I'll be ready in a minute. My luggage is usually easier to pack than yours. I need some space on the bed…" she tried to stack some of his shirt and t-shirt several piles in only one, when she raised her eyes showing a hint of annoyance, "We are going to stay there only for the weekend. Do you think you are going to have the time to wear your entire wardrobe?"

"Come on Laura, you know me very well."

"…Yes, I think I do…" she interrupted him rolling her eyes and raising her hands with resignation. "But I never lose the hope…"

He lifted his eyes from the bed and noticed she wasn't in a good mood- Walking a few steps toward her he tried a different approach to slow down her bad mood just a bit-

"On the other hand…" he pulled her back to him, "Maybe I should try to share the suitcase this time. The big one will be enough for both of us." he started a path kissing her neck.

She realized she was getting distracted by his activity, a fact that annoyed her. "Don't try to distract me when I'm packing. I'll forget half of the things I need and once there you are going to tell me that you were right bringing half of your wardrobe, and I was wrong packing only the basic stuff."

"Do I have the chance to select what part of your wardrobe I prefer you to forget?"

"Don't bother. I can imagine it by myself…" Laura gave him a peck on the cheek trying to hide a sudden smile and to get free from his embrace and his distracting activities, resuming the focus in her task.

They were in the Auburn taking the US 101 N when the night arrived. The top was on despite the warmth of the April because a long way to Santa Barbara was ahead of them. The trip was made in silence, maybe as a consequence of their fatigue; or maybe because of her inner thoughts.

They were attending to one of Laura cousin's wedding, Ralph Holt. Although Laura hadn't been in touch with her father for a long time, Abigail had always insisted on remaining close to his side of the family, offering her daughters the chance to know their relatives. They had met several summers in Santa Barbara at Laura's grandmother's house, where she was very comfortable spending time with her cousin Ralph. They were the same age, and as Laura was a kind of a tomboy, she was always eager to follow him, finding his adventures together the better part about her childhood holidays.

Mildred had booked Laura and Mr. Steele at a charming hotel, right on Cabrillo Blvd. Although the ceremony was scheduled on Saturday morning, they decided to arrive there on Friday night and leave on Monday afternoon, enjoying the chance of resting the whole weekend after several frantic weeks at the office. Once their belongings were already in their room, they headed for a stroll around the coast looking for a place to have dinner. They found the perfect restaurant near Santa Barbara Harbor.

Finally relaxing after the trip, dinner offered them the time to talk about the last events of the week. Just as the work topic was over, they began to relax tuning into an expected more romantic level. The night was still warm on their way back to the hotel, and the sound of the waves on the shore was like a lullaby for Laura. After staying for a while getting themselves bewitched under the spell of the sea, they decided to call it a night. It would have been nice to make the walk along the Pier a little longer, but they were drained, and the plan was put on hold until the following night.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Saturday morning arrived with a glorious day. Laura enjoyed a relaxing early routine running along the shore before breakfast, while Mr. Steele enjoyed a relaxing early routine, dreaming about her enjoying some exercise. Once she was back in their room, and realizing he wasn't showing signs of being alive yet, she decided to have a shower and call room service. The wedding was at 11 in the afternoon, and knowing Mr. Steele's routines, he would need at last two hours to make himself presentable. And that was without considering another kind of activities he was always eager to start; and she was always eager to follow, by the way.

She sat down beside him on the bed, still drying her hair with the towel, "Hi… It's a lovely morning, and we have a wedding to attend. The coffee is already here…"

There was no response.

She tried with a different tactic then, "Mr. Steele, wake up! Breakfast is here!"

There was still no response.

Noticing she would need to show up all her weapons, she decided to change the direction of the approach, "Mr. Steele, I think I finally recovered my strength after our hard work week. Are you interested in sharing an activity before breakfast?"

He looked at her opening only one eye, "Should I have to wear running shoes?" he asked her in a sleepy tone.

"I think this is the only one item you didn't pack…" she answered smiling.

Opening both eyes at last after a considerable effort he fixed his eyes on her, "That's because I was aware that my exercise routine would be fulfilled without them. You should admit I didn't carry unnecessary stuff to our weekend, Laura. My packing was the accurate one."

Not being able to object his statement she said, "You are right, Mr. Steele. I don't know why I am suspecting you had most of your routines planned on advance…"

"That's because you are a good detective, Laura. Perhaps it's time to begin my off-running-shoes training, don't you think? You are aware that once I'm ready in the morning, I love to be into my exercise routine without delay…"He followed his statement pulling her on top of him on the bed.

"At this point, I think I'm aware of that, Mr. Steele…"

The ceremony was beautiful, and once over, the bride and groom greeted some of Laura's family members. They had the chance to talk with some of them, goblets in hand, waiting for the party to begin. Although Mr. Steele didn't know anybody, he was feeling extremely comfortable taking part in the dialogues from time to time, into which Laura introduced him while showing a genuine smile. But mostly he was happy being able to put his hand on Laura's back at any opportunity, without her trying to escape. They were both feeling utterly comfortable, and that felt good.

The wedding reception was held at a lovely place; a bright saloon surrounded by a vast garden full of white tables with a flower centerpiece on them, everything settled under very welcomed white umbrellas. Their seats were placed between some other of Laura's cousins and spouses. She was feeling very comfortable sharing memories about their childhood with the women, intentionally embarrassing her cousins from time to time with some funny situations never revealed to the public. Mr. Steele was enjoying the time as well, seeing Laura acting happily as a part of a family for once, without feeling embarrassed by the fact. Abigail and Frances weren't at the party because the only one still in touch with her relatives was Laura. Since her grandmother's death, Abigail didn't find any reason to visit the place anymore; and Frances never liked her naughty cousin's behavior; plus she was the older one, and was forever condemned to take care of them, a fact that didn't help to make her happy at all.

Once the buffet was already empty, and the bride and groom had taken care of the traditional cake ceremony, the music began attracting everybody to the dance floor. The afternoon ran fast, and the Holt tribe remained there until the end of the event, everybody promising to meet with each other soon.

Laura and Mr. Steele finally left the place, both of them focused on the next following day, with nothing in mind to do but relax.

Once at the hotel, they took off their wedding wardrobe, put on some comfortable clothes and headed to the coast for a walk through the shore as they had promised each other the previous night. The late afternoon sky was beautiful, and their mood was as good as the surrounding. They walked barefoot all the way, hand in hand towards the Pier.

"You did have a great time today, didn't you?" he asked her.

"Yes, I did. It was nice to meet everybody again after all these years and the chance to remember some of our funniest times together was a bonus," she answered smiling, entranced into her happy memories.

"Why do you never talk about your Holt side of the family, Laura?" asked Mr. Steele.

"I don't know, maybe because it has been a long time without seeing them. You know life went on; everybody went to college, no more summers at my grandmother's, everybody got married to girls that I didn't know. It's like everyone moved on and Santa Barbara didn't feel like my place anymore." She couldn't help but remember herself having that same feeling the day before.

They walked in silence for some minutes, and then she told him," What would you say if I tell you that I want to cancel the lease of the loft."

He stopped his steps and looked at her, "I would say that I'm surprised, Laura."

"You should not feel surprised; it was going to happen one day, after all."

Trying not to demonstrate how happy he was with her decision, and being aware of how much she was giving away, he asked her "Are you sure? Why? I know it's important for you to keep the loft. You love your own space, and I'm fine with it. There's no need to cancel the lease, Laura."

"Look, I need you to listen to me." She looked to the sand, crouched to grab some in her hands, and standing again told him, "I went to the loft yesterday to return some of the clothes I carried to Rossmore during our last cases. Everything was the same as usual until I opened the door and got in."

"Did you find something unusual?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes, I did. Although I wouldn't refer to it as unusual, it felt like a different sensation. I stood there looking at the place, looking at my things staying still there. Things that I haven't needed to take part of my life lately. Things I was eager to come back to each day after a hard work day, but I hadn't need for some time. I felt I didn't belong there anymore. There is no more me at the loft. It feels so… empty." She looked at him, and after letting the sand slip through her fingers, she continued. "The only thing there that I feel it still belongs to my life is the piano…It's one of the beautiful gifts you gave me through the years. And I adore it."

He was thrilled while listening to her words.

"Since when have you been thinking about this?" he asked her in a kind tone.

"I noticed it yesterday. And today I realized why I feel that way."

He began to be aware of the meaning of her lasts words. "I see."

"It's the same situation that happened with Santa Barbara, it didn't feel like my place anymore at some point, and the reason was that something inside me was changing, I was growing up. Of course, some memories will remain in my heart, and I'm glad for that. The same sensation I felt about the loft. I will treasure wonderful memories of it forever, but lately, my future loved memories are taking place in another setting. I think it's time for me to move on. It's time for us to move on."

He was silent. If he had learned something about Laura Holt through the years, was that she needed to be the one making the decision, not allowing anybody else pushing her in the process. Once the facts were already settled in her methodical mind, she would let her heart to take part in the realization.

"What are you implying with move on?" he asked.

"I think we are building a present together, that both of us are enjoying." she smiled at him. "Maybe this step would be the first of several ones to move our relationship forward, to build a future together as well. What do you think?"

He stepped definitely in her personal space, and pulled her to him, "I like your way of thinking, Laura Holt."

He kissed her temple, and they followed with the walking, his arm on her shoulder.

"I will be delighted to have the chance to build our future together as well, love. Let's cancel the lease at the loft if you are sure of that. This time I will not dare criticize your frugal side."

"Wow, that's an advance, Mr. Steele." She looked at him, "I'm relieved you won't. Are we, for a first, beginning to find a common approach about frugality?"

"Ah …Don't count on that soon, Laura. My limit is there. I'm a man who loves to respect boundaries, after all." she laughed and let him embrace her, feeling for the first time in years, that she was making a choice about a road to take, not because it was the one supposed to be the correct one; but because she indeed felt that it was.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

The weekend continued as planned, with both detectives enjoying a peaceful stay in Santa Barbara, full of relaxing and plans about their near future.

They returned to Los Angeles on Monday morning as planned, and were already at the office before lunch.

"Good morning Mildred," said Miss Holt.

"Good morning Miss Holt. How was the weekend?"

Laura answered her while peering through the mail at Mildred's desk, "The weekend was great Mildred, everything going just as planned. We met all my cousins at the wedding. It felt nice to remember some funny adventures from our childhood." She lifted her eyes from the papers with a smile plastered on her face.

"You are right about that. There's always something happy to share with family about childhood." Was then when the secretary noticed someone was missing. "Where is Mr. Steele, honey?"

"He should be here in half an hour. He had some urgent errands to run…" Laura gave a look to Mildred that told her everything she should know without the need for words.

"Tailor appointment…" said Mildred guessing the answer.

"Right on the target, Mildred. I don't know where he is planning to hold the new additions to his wardrobe. The whole apartment will sink through his closet one day…"

"At last it will worth it. Nobody can wear a suit like him, honey." said the secretary.

"We both know that already, Mildred. But we should try not to let his ego increase and his bank account decrease. Just mentioning to him something about his good wardrobe choices and he will be to set another appointment with his tailor; and we don't need more of this than what we have, do we?" she left the mail on Mildred desk, giving her a final gaze, and stepped toward her office.

"Do you want some coffee, Miss Holt?" Mildred asked chuckling.

"I'd love some Mildred."

Mr. Steele was leaving his tailor's shop when a known face across the street caught his attention. He couldn't figure out where did he know the guy from, but he was sure that they had met somewhere. The man was wearing a cap, and a driver overall and was leaning on a truck's door, a Premium chocolate delivery truck. Mr. Steele began to fantasize that his imagination had made him a trick, affected by the fact that since he'd known Laura, the word chocolate was always an interesting one to set his attention on. He closed the Auburn door and headed to the office.

"Morning, morning, morning…"

"Good afternoon chief. How was your weekend?" Mildred noticed her boss was in an excellent good mood, the same as Miss Holt.

"Extremely satisfactory Mildred! You should go to Santa Barbara if you have the chance; a beautiful, beautiful place indeed!"

"Maybe your positive impression has anything to do with the company…"

"Ah, Mildred; you know me very well. Of course it has, but the company only helped to make an upgrade to the already wonderful whole scenario. The place's fantastic itself. Nice view, beautiful places to visit, splendid restaurants; and among all those advantages, it's surprisingly near to Los Angeles. You should try it sometime with the Dragon Ladies. I'm sure there must be an interesting bowling line somewhere there." He told her heading towards his office.

"I'll check about that boss."

The afternoon followed as usual with Laura filling some files and Mr. Steele reading the paper. He was arriving at the most exciting section, Spectacles, when Mildred buzzed him by the intercom. "Yes Mildred?" he answered putting down the paper, not bothering to hide his annoyance about having his delayed morning routine interrupted.

"Somebody is looking for you, Boss."

Checking back in his mind about possible meetings this afternoon, he asked the secretary, "Does somebody have an appointment, Mildred?"

"No chief, but I think you should give the man a chance. He sounds anxious."

"Does the man have a name, Mildred?"

"Holt, Boss. Patrick Holt. Does that name ring any bells? " answered the secretary.

"Give me five minutes and send him in, Mildred." He put the newspaper down, and putting his suit jacket on, he headed to Laura's office, opened the door and asked her, "Are you busy, Laura? A man is asking for Remington Steele. The name sounds familiar to me; Patrick Holt. He says he needs to talk with us."

"Patrick Holt? It can't be. We talked with him at the wedding, don't you remember?"

"Laura, we talked with a tribe of Holts at the wedding. Seriously, you do not suppose I would remember every one of them…"

"How is that you have almost twenty-three tailored suits - that without counting your tuxedos- and you can remember every occasion you did use them and the tie they make the perfect match with. If they are already in your closet or still at the cleaning. And then you are not able to remember one of my cousins, a man with whom you talked two days ago. He is Ralph's younger brother. Ralph is the one who got married in that wedding at Santa Barbara last weekend; can you remember that event…Mr. Steele or I'm asking something extremely difficult for your exhausted Monday morning mind?" she ended her words showing a hint of annoyance.

"There's no need to be aggressive, Laura. I'll be in sync just the moment I have his face under my sight. I'll wait for you in my office," he turned around and headed back to his desk, realizing it was going to be a typical week, after all, struggling with Laura's frequent mood changes and a lot of work to be done.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Once Patrick put one foot inside Mr. Steele's office, the detective recognized him. Mr. Steele greeted the man bringing back some of the conversations they had made the last weekend at the party, and pointing to Laura that he was able to put a face and a name together with the same ease he was able to attach a tie to a suit.

"What can we do for you, Patrick?" asked Laura.

"Something unusual had been happening Laura, but as Ralph was getting married on the weekend, and I didn't want to have his wedding ruined; I waited until today to come to see you."

"What kind of problem could have ruined Ralph's wedding. Did you have a plan to run away with the bride?" asked Mr. Steele trying to sound funny.

Laura gave him a killer look that froze him. He stopped his funny comments and got serious. "Sorry, go ahead."

"I've found a dead body," said Patrick.

"What?" asked Laura jumping from her previous position on Mr. Steele's desk and standing in front of her cousin.

"I've found a dead body in my truck. Last Monday, I was beginning my work day, and when I opened the truck back doors to put the merchandise inside, I found a dead man lying on the floor."

"Have you gone to the Police?" asked worried Laura.

"Yes, I did. But when I opened the truck back doors to show them what I was speaking about, the body was gone," Patrick answered.

"Oh no, not that again…" begged Mr. Steele.

Laura gave him such a sharp look that made him raise his hands in surrender.

"What did the Police say?" asked Laura trying to focus their minds in Patrick's retelling.

"They said that without a dead body, there is no crime. They sent me home."

"And why didn't you obey them? There is no need to be looking for a dead body. It's gone, pfff, disappeared, nada. Why didn't you go home and forget the whole incident, my good man?" suggested Mr. Steele.

"Mr. Steele!" Miss Holt warned him.

"Ok, Laura, ok. It was just an unarming suggestion. Where are we supposed to start?" asked the detective.

"Why don't you tell us everything from the beginning, Patrick?" suggested Laura.

"I'll try. I work at a chocolate factory, Premium Chocolate."

Mr. Steele realized then that Patrick was the man he recognized earlier in the morning.

"I drive a truck and deliver our product to some exclusive restaurants and delicacy stores all around the city. My job starts very early in the morning and ends in the afternoon. Last Monday, I went to the company parking lot and got into my truck. I was ready to pick up my orders for the day from the storehouse, the list already in my hands, and then I parked the vehicle at the factory dock to load the boxes. I got off of the truck, opened the back doors, and voila, there was a dead man inside. I panicked, so I closed the doors. I tucked all the merchandise as faster as I could, and after going to the office manager to get my order authorized to get out of the place, I got up on my vehicle and went directly to the Police Station. Was there that I told the officer at the front door that there was a dead body in the back of my truck; but when we opened the door, it was gone."

"And was then when the cop told you that without a dead body there wasn't a crime," followed Miss Holt thinking about the whole retelling; "Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary lately, Patrick?"

"Well, after the incident, I feel as if I've been tailed a couple of times."

"Do you have a clue about who would be tailing you? Were you able to write the license plate?" asked Laura.

"No, I'm afraid not. I was working when that happened, but later, after work, I thought a lot about it. And at last, on Friday, a car that I didn't notice but I am suspecting was tailing my truck, stopped beside me on a red light. And just when the driver rolled down his window and showed me a gun; a Police car appeared, and he closed the window and ran away fast once the green light was on."

"Have you seen the plates?" asked Mr. Steele.

"No. I think all my blood run away from my head straight to my toes. I've never had been threatened with a gun before. My mind was in a blank." said Patrick.

"Excuse us for a moment, please." Miss Holt made a gesture to Mr. Steele to follow her to her office. Once there, she asked him, "What do you think?"

"What do I think? I can't think anything yet, Laura. The only fact that would look suitable enough to be a detective case is that a man showed a gun to Patrick and then ran away. I can't tell you anything else."

"Although you would not believe it, Mr. Steele, I agree with your opinion. Any suggestions?" asked Laura looking at him.

"I think we should go strictly to the facts and put Patrick out of reach of the gunman. What if we hide him at the loft?"

"Sounds like a good idea. But what should we do after that?" She started to pace while thinking. "We don't have anything to start!"

After a moment of thought, he doubtfully suggested, "Lunch?"

"I can't believe this would be the smartest suggestion I can get from you. Try again, Mr. Steele," said Laura a bit annoyed.

"Lunch and a retrospective at the movies, perhaps? I didn't have a chance to see the paper yet but…"

Laura found herself slightly annoyed; she turned on her heels after exhaling a sigh and started her return to his office where Patrick was waiting for them.

He followed her steps, "I'm suspecting it wasn't the answer you were expecting, Laura. You are always so damn focused in work. I think that an afternoon at the movies would be helpful…" he whispered to himself. "Maybe if you are in need to include your cousin…"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

They decided to leave Patrick at the loft, with strict instructions to stay there without letting anyone know where he was.

"Maybe we should reconsider your decision, Laura. This place could be very convenient to hide clients from supposed no existent dead bodies," he told her with a certain dose of sarcasm. "But I suspect that even being more than a comfortable den; any fugitive would deserve something more edible to have than the things you have stocked in your shelves. Perhaps something not packed in cans, you know…"

Rolling her eyes, she answered, "What are you implying? I'm not living there since months ago. What do you expect? Should I have the fridge stocked?"

"I'm not implying anything, Laura. It was just an observation trying to care about your family's well being, Laura. Let's get some fresh food for Patrick, and leave him hidden, but in a more suitable situation."

They completed his suggested task; and just when they were back, hands full of food bags going up the stairs, they heard noises and stumps coming from Laura's home. They threw everything away in their hurry and ran upstairs, but in the heat of the moment, they almost crashed with Patrick who was running down.

"What happened, Patrick?" asked Mr. Steele.

"I think I killed a man!" answered Patrick in panic.

"What?" asked him Laura, very alarmed.

"A man got inside your place, and he was trying to kill me, but I took one of the cans you left on the counter and hit him strong on his head. He fell down dead!" said Patrick.

"I told you that stuff was strong enough to kill someone, Laura," said Mr. Steele giving her a sided glare.

Without bother with an answer, the three of them run upstairs to check about the situation. They got into the loft carefully, looking for somebody else ready to attack them, but didn't find any dead body. They didn't find anybody there as well.

"I 'm sure I killed him, he fell here beside the counter, and didn't move anymore," said Patrick.

"Excuse us for a moment, Patrick," told him Mr. Steele; and grabbing Laura's arm, he dragged her near the front door. "I think this case is turning into a repeated thriller movie with a missed dead body, Miss Holt."

"I'm beginning to think that it's possible my cousin has an unreal case developing in his mind… What if he is very fond of a movie and is not able to separate reality facts from big screen ones?" asked Laura.

"Well, then I would suspect he could be a good detective, don't you think?" he proudly answered winking an eye to her.

"I'm serious, Mr. Steele. What if his mind is not working properly?" asked a worried Laura. "Let's give him the last opportunity to tell us what happened."

"Perhaps we should get the groceries here first, Laura. We left them scattered all over the stairs. I don't want to listen to any of Mr. Bartholomew's lectures."

"Be kind Mr. Steele. The man did apologize after all."

"Of course Miss Holt; and he was eager to start a sweet new relationship with his neighbors, as I remember…"

"Oh…Shut up…"

They finally had all the stuff already at the loft, when they listened to Patrick's retelling cup of tea in hand.

"So, let's start from the beginning, Patrick," told him, Mr. Steele.

"You two left me here and told me not to tell anyone where I was staying. I obeyed your order. After some time I was feeling restless and looked for something to do. I went to your library, but I didn't find any material, masculine enough to read… different taste, I guess…"

Mr. Steele's acknowledging gaze turned Laura's cheeks into a slight red color.

"So, I decided to turn on the TV looking for a good movie to watch…" Mr. Steele's eyes lightened then, hoping that with any luck they would get out of that boring chat and share some interesting knowledge, "But the image wasn't good, so I decided to follow the antenna wire looking for the issue, when a man I didn't know was here, jumped on me."

"I told you several times that this neighborhood wasn't secure enough, Laura…"

"I beg your pardon?" she almost shouted him.

"Just an observation Miss Holt." He moved back his eyes to Miss Holt's cousin. "Please go on, Patrick."

"The man jumped on me, we fight for a while, and when I saw the can on the counter, I grabbed it and hit him strong on his head. He began to bleed, but I ran away afraid of someone else being with him waiting to attack me."

"And then you almost crashed us at the stairs…" added Laura.

"Yes, then we returned, but the body wasn't here anymore."

Laura stood up and went to check the kitchen window but didn't find anything wrong with it. "If the intruder didn't get into the loft by the window, he could have done it by the front door before our arrival and remained in here waiting for us to leave you alone to attack. But it looks like it's impossible the intruder could run away using the front door if we were down the stairs at that very moment. How could he do it?" asked Laura.

"Running away upstairs?" said Patrick.

Both detectives turned their eyes to him a bit surprised. They were sharing the same thought at this very moment; the subject analyzed minutes before. Would Patrick be out of his mind?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Realizing the loft wouldn't be the safest place to leave Patrick for the night, they returned to the office. Once there, and after considering different possibilities, they decided that Mildred's place sounded secure enough. So, after a very long day, Patrick left the office beside Mildred, and Mr. Steele did it beside Laura. The detectives thought they deserved a quiet dinner alone after such a day.

She had been quiet since they left the office, worried about the whole situation. The day had started beautifully, with an unforgettable farewell from Santa Barbara after a perfect weekend. But suddenly, everything had turned into a mess. Her family was again adding complications. This time, a whole case; but the fact that was bothering her in the most was that she didn't have an idea of what the case was about. It was at least disconcerting.

Mr. Steele thought about the events of the day all their way back home. Since Patrick showed up at the agency in the afternoon, they had missed lunch and survived the whole day with only a cup of tea at Laura's loft. He was starving, and he had the suspicion that Laura was in a desperate need of food as well.

They were in the Auburn, their suitcases still in the trunk. Mr. Steele realized then there wasn't anything edible at Rossmore because of their weekend escapade, and suggested to Laura, "Maybe we should stop somewhere to have dinner."

"Why, Mr. Steele… Are you saying that there's nothing edible waiting for us at home?" asked Laura sarcastically.

"Ah, Laura… Touché. I have to confess that there wasn't much in the fridge when we left, and as I'm not fond of cans as someone we both know, alternatives are noodle soup or an omelet. If you are fine with that, then I'm fine too."

"I'll be fine but with both of them Mr. Steele, I'm hungry. Besides, anything putting this afternoon behind us with the addition of the proper dessert will be more than welcome." She took a strand of his hair that was disheveled and put it again in the right place, showing him the first decent smile since their arrival in LA.

Noodle soup and omelet were already histories, and they were cuddling together on the couch ready to share their dessert when the phone rang.

"I can't believe it. I thought we were finally on the way to set new standards after the novelty of our non-interrupted weekend, but it seems that I was wrong," said a disappointed Mr. Steele on his way to answer the call.

"Steele here," he said.

"Mildred?" he made a gesture to Laura, corroborating their suspicion. "What? Where are you? Yes, we will be there in about fifteen minutes. Stay inside until then."

"What happened?" asked Laura.

"Mildred and Patrick are waiting for us at Nardelli's. Somebody tried to get into Mildred's house, and as soon as they heard the noise of broken glasses, they ran away from there as fast as they could. Say goodbye to dessert, Laura…"

"Let's go. There will be enough time for that later."

"Will you be still hungry?" he asked her.

"I'm always hungry for dessert, Mr. Steele. You should know that by now."

"Sure, I do. But I'll always love to listen to you saying it…"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Midnight found everyone at Rossmore, searching for a gap to start working on the case. Both detectives were still surprised, but at the same time, relieved that Patrick wasn't out of his mind and there was indeed a case. They worked trying to figure out something until the late hours in the night when someone suggested a rest, and nobody contradicted the suggestion. Although Mr. Steele was thinking about spending the night, or maybe the rest of it holding Laura in his arms, the layout of the evening didn't collaborate with his idea. As there were only two rooms available at the apartment, bedroom and living room; and he wasn't ready to share the bed or even the couch with Mildred; the most reasonable way to resolve the situation was girls with girls and boys with boys. Another dessert opportunity wasted, he murmured to himself.

Laura and Mildred were sleeping in the bedroom, and Patrick and Mr. Steele were in the living room. Despite that he had spent most of his life sleeping in different places; none of them remotely pleasurable as a couch; his eyes were still open an hour later, and after an hour and a half later as well. After about two hours turning back on the sofa cushions, he decided to get up and make a new round checking the place. The door was locked, the same as the windows. He opened the bedroom door and checked its window too. When he turned back, he couldn't help to focus his eyes on the bed. Mildred was fast asleep, as Laura seemed to be. He smiled thinking about how good it felt to be spoiled by these two women. They were the best part of his life. But maybe the best was to have the chance to be a part of hers.

Feeling he was not going to get asleep soon, he went to the kitchen to heat some milk for a cup of chocolate. It was always an excellent resource to make him feel sleepy. He took the bottle from the refrigerator, put some of it in a pan, and once the white liquid was hot enough; he poured it into a cup with a chocolate bar waiting to melt. The aromatic smell invaded the whole kitchen. He was ready to have his first sip when Laura appeared on the door.

"I thought you were asleep," he told her.

"I think I will not be able to sleep through the entire night. I closed my eyes when you opened the door because I was afraid it was an intruder. But I opened them and saw your back when you were getting out of the room."

After a detailed look through her attire, he told her, "I think I haven't seen this outfit after our Friedlich Spa disappointing evening. I didn't know you brought it here."

"I told you at the beach; almost everything from my closet had migrated here." and looking at the cup she asked, "Is there enough of this for me?"

"I'll make another cup for me. Take this one; I think it's ready."

"I'm not sure what this case is all about," said Laura after trying a sip from the cup. "We have no clues, and I'm feeling like a target ready to be darted."

"We are going to find anything soon. I'm sure Patrick will remember something after a good night sleep." he put the pan again on the stove, and after a moment another chocolate bar was getting melted.

He looked at her and noticed that she was looking sad and tired like a child having a nightmare. He realized then that she would welcome a hug. "Come here." he opened his arms. She left the cup on the counter and found his arms wrapping her body with such a relief. Once she was there, her sigh told him that he was right; she needed a hug. It felt nice sharing an embrace with both of them barefoot. Their bodies were the perfect fit. There had been opportunities to share a simple embrace at the office, but she was always on her heels; it was different this time. Besides, it wasn't usual to share a long and chaste hug at home. They both shared the ability to progress their embrace fast into different but promising activities. They remained still in that position when Mildred came into the kitchen.

"Sorry kids…You'll have to wait for a moment to follow with your current schedule because I'm not leaving this place without a cup of chocolate in my hands. I wasn't able to sleep, and smelled it from the bedroom."

Despite that in the near past, the sound of Mildred's voice was enough to make them jump from their embrace, they didn't change position this time. "It is fine, Mildred. Take this one." told her Mr. Steele, showing her the steaming cup waiting for him on the counter. Laura's face was leaning on his chest, out of Mildred's sight.

She grabbed the chocolate and headed to the door. "Go on with your entertainment kids. I'm on my way back to mine," she left the place with an accomplice smile plastered on her face.

Once she was out of their sight, they both started to chuckle trying to make the less noise as possible. "It seems that it's not my chocolate night after all…" injecting some resignation into his voice.

"We can share mine," she told him raising her sight to his eyes.

They were contemplating the possibility about sharing anything else than chocolate in a few minutes; their embrace right in progress, some tiny kisses delivered here and there, hands roaming by different places; when a shout from the living room brought them violently to reality. They ran from the kitchen and found Patrick standing beside the couch. "I think I know where we can start."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

The three of them were in the living room in a blink, standing in front of Patrick.

"I think I know where we can start," he said.

"Spill it! "Ordered Mildred.

"The dead man I found in the truck had something in his hand, and I think I know what it would be," said the young man showing a satisfied grin.

"Are you going to tell us or should we have to play mimics to find it?" Asked the secretary, her patience entirely lost.

"The man had a chocolate bar in his hands," said Patrick.

"A chocolate bar?...how convenient…" said Mr. Steele "There was a truck parked at a chocolate factory parking lot; there was a dead man inside of it… and he had a chocolate bar in his hands… Perhaps he died because of liver disease." he ended sarcastically.

"I don't think so," told him, Patrick. "Or maybe it could be a possibility, though. It was a Delucchi's bar; they are our rivals. Their chocolate is not as good as ours, of course." He said proudly.

Laura gave a look to Mr. Steele that told him they were on the way to something. The first clue was on the table, and she was ready to start to play.

They finally found the needed peace to have a decent sleep at the early hours of the morning, after putting a couple of pieces together.

The arrival at the office the following day was delayed until lunchtime when Mildred began with her task immediately. She decided to check, not on Patrick's company alone, but on their competence as well. The second one was a family company, established in LA around 1920. The business had started with a small shop near Sunset Blvd, and at about 1950 there were four stores already in the city. They were all owned by the same Delucchi family, although the sons of the original owner managed the last three of them.

Mildred brought the information to Laura's office. Miss Holt had been focusing herself on finishing old paperwork about their last week's case, ready to start with the operative part of their new one. Once Miss Holt was over with the reading of the files, she headed to Mr. Steele's office and opened the connecting door, but the boss wasn't at his desk. Making some steps inside the room, she noticed both men peacefully sleeping on the couch area. They were in a sitting position, and she realized that it wasn't a planned nap; their necks will hurt like hell later. It was clear that women strength for work was far better than men's one in this team.

"Mr. Steele, we have the files ready," she told him touching his shoulder.

He opened his eyes, but his face became fast into a hurting one. He grabbed his neck with his left hand, trying to return to real life. "Did you find anything useful?" he asked.

"Not much at the moment, but maybe we can go to have lunch and work through it together in the meantime."

Just the mention of food changed his mood, as Laura knew it was going to happen. He jumped from the couch and headed to his chair to grab his jacket. Once there he remembered Patrick. "Should we wake him up too?"

"We are leaving him here this time, Mr. Steele. He can go later with Mildred, or maybe we can bring them something to eat here."

"Ok. Let's go."

As their morning started in the late afternoon, their lunch was almost at tea time. The most reasonable place to go was Harry's, near Century City. It was a special place owned by two lovely ladies. Their pastries were very well known all over the neighborhood. They ordered some grilled sandwiches, apple strudel, and coffee. Once their order was on the table, Mr. Steele rubbed his hands in anticipation. If this case was bringing some changes to their everyday schedule, the food alteration was the worst one for him. Well, this and the opportunity alteration as well. But at last, he celebrated that Laura was in sync with one of his needs this time. She attacked the food with enthusiasm, a lot of enthusiasm by the way.

"By all means, Laura; slow down! We can ask for another sandwich after you finish this one, but please try to chew the food, I'm sure you're able to behave like a serious lady. What are those fine old women going to think?"

"I'm not a serious lady at the moment, Mr. Steele. I supposed you were aware that we had been deprived a lot through the last 24 hours. I'm taking my chance to be prepared for a future contingency."

He noticed an invitation the moment it was on the table, and took the hint; "So, being a serious lady doesn't match with deprivations… Are you suggesting that I should be prepared for any contingency?" he answered showing her a wicked smile.

"Not that kind of contingencies, Mr. Steele. Food contingencies!" she answered him a bit annoyed. "Aren't you capable of putting your mind aside of that for once?"

"Ok, Laura; food contingencies. I caught your meaning. I was trying to lighten the moment. Let's enjoy the meal then. Just in case it would be the last one…"

The meal was followed by some more coffee and files' reading. They studied Mildred's information, and the first traces of a plan started to see the light. The first step was going to be a stakeout scheduled for that night. They were going to take a look at Patrick's company parking lot. His truck was still there, and if the supposed killers were looking for him, the opportunity to discover anything about them there was high. The second part was still not confirmed, because it was a consequence of the stakeout. But yet even in diapers, they were going to make arrangements with Patrick to be ready just in case.

The detectives returned to the agency with a deserved dose of food for the other half of the team. Mildred brought more coffee to Mr. Steele's office, and they shared the plans for the night. There was still only one thing to be taken care of, Mildred's house. As they had run away in a hurry the previous night and didn't return there yet, nobody knew the situation about the damages on the place. They decided to go there and check them before returning to Rossmore.

They arrived at Miss Krebs's house and confirmed that the intruders had broken a window, but as Mildred and Patrick were too fast in their runaway, the criminals didn't bother about getting into the place.

Mildred called for help, and in an hour the house was sealed and secure again. Thinking about the possibility of a decent dinner, they decided to enjoy some of the secretary's cooking. Rossmore's fridge was getting less tempting every day. She delighted them with a homemade chicken pie and cherry pie for dessert. After agreeing that Mildred and Patrick would remain there for the night, the detectives left after dinner and headed to Rossmore. They enjoyed a needed nap before beginning to work in their stakeout scheduled for midnight.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

They hid behind some pipes scattered outside the factory's fence. The lights on the parking lot were on, and all the trucks were there for the night. The only movement they could notice was an operative team washing the vehicles and getting them ready for the next day.

"I think we've got something," whispered Laura.

"That's the way our no existent dead body could have gotten into the truck. The team had it opened while they were cleaning the inside, before washing it outside," answered Mr. Steele.

"Which means, that the no existent dead body would be still alive and inside the parking lot at that time, waiting for an opportunity to escape; or that he was a real dead body at the time, and somebody stuck him in the truck to send him away from the crime scene," said Laura.

"But there is still something left. We don't know if the body was inside the factory already or not. We need to get in there to investigate." said Mr. Steele. "Premium chocolate driver's day tomorrow?" he asked.

Her face told him everything he needed to know. There was a discussion waiting.

They returned to Rossmore after the stakeout. Mr. Steele suggested replacing Patrick on his work day. Both men looked alike under the overall and the cap, and no one would notice the difference. But Laura had a different opinion. As they weren't sure what the case was about yet, nobody should be working alone. If Mr. Steele decided to take Patrick's place, Laura decided she was going to be Mr. Steele's partner.

"I told you it's dangerous! Nobody should be working alone! In which language should I translate it to you?"

"I know it's dangerous, Laura. But it's the only way to find anything. The only moment I would be alone is between when I'm looking for the truck in the parking lot, and the moment when I get outside to the street. You can tail me then."

"I don't agree with your plan."

"What do you suggest as a smart option?"

"You know? You can leave the word smart out of the question, by the way," she answered him suddenly annoyed.

"Why should I leave this word out of the question' Is it because my suggestion is the smart one, or because you didn't find a better option to suggest over mine?" his tone was far from friendly.

"Because an option will never be smart if it's leaving us in separate banks with the river running in the middle," she answered looking straight into his eyes.

He stared at her for a while. She was right. They should find a way to work together. But between several ones, there was a fundamental unsolvable difficulty. Patrick's company only allowed male drivers. There was no way out.

"I'll go with Patrick. That's the only option available at the moment, Laura."

"If you say so…" Laura left the room and went to the bedroom while he poured himself a glass of scotch. It was always better to let her cool off for a while when she was upset. He grabbed the glass and sat down on the couch closing his eyes. She was back a while later, pillow and sheets in hand.

"Come on, Laura… this is not the way…"

"You are right. This is not the way. You are choosing the wrong one. I can't share a bed with you, with an abyss settled between us."

"You are not reasonable today, Laura," he said showing her his tiredness and walking to their bedroom.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Laura did never believe that a day was going to arrive, having Mr. Steele working on a case outside the office with some of her relatives, and she stacked at the agency besides Mildred. But there's always a first for everything, she told herself. She had thought for the first time in her life about sharing chocolate two nights ago after all.

Mr. Steele went to work with Patrick the next morning. They followed the routines, and at 9:30 were out of the factory, ready to start the chocolate delivery.

Mr. Steele's decision to keep Laura out of this part of the case was on purpose. He had hidden but true motives. The last case they had worked on with chocolate popping up into it; was the one at Donald's Dentist Convention. They were in the middle of the case, walking through a room with the professional Laura ready to get into action; when they crashed into another kind of convention, a chocolate one. She went in a flash from the confident detective in the middle of a case, to the chocoholic Laura, in the middle of a crisis. They didn't need to revisit that situation again. It could be extremely dangerous. That's why he wanted to be there but wanted her at the office, far from the brown elixir.

On the other hand, the chocolate word didn't land in Laura's mind the night before. She was thinking about them; about how they were working lately as a team. It had been a long road since their beginning, until to where they were standing in the present. They had learned a lot in the meantime, and one of the most important words that they had attached to their work, and lately to their life were: together. She couldn't understand why he was pushing her aside this time. They had worked in several cases in the last few months, sometimes already knowing they would be immersed in different cases at the same time, but always trying to be communicative at the end of the day. It was an honest need at this point. But finding that, instead of that they were working on the same case he wanted her far from him, was at last…baffling.

Laura was sitting at her desk, with all these thoughts in her mind, when the phone rang.

"Remington Steele Investigations," she answered as quickly as she could. Going over Mildred's speed was a considerable challenge she was ready to achieve.

"We are out, Laura. We are going to start the delivery, and after every stop, I'll call you to tell you about our next destination. We are heading to Valentino, 3115 Pico Blvd. I'll call you later."

"Take care…" was everything that came from her mouth.

The next phone call took almost an hour.

"Nothing to report, Laura. Next stop, Spago; 176 N Cañon. Call you from there."

"I'll be waiting for your call."

In the meantime, as Miss Holt and Mildred had settled the priorities early in the morning, Mildred was running a search about the restaurants Mr. Steele and Patrick were visiting. She hadn't found anything useful yet.

The third call arrived almost an hour later. "We are at Spago, Laura. Someone is tailing us. The plate is …." Then the line was dead.

Laura put the headphone in the hanger, waiting for a next call. But after five minutes she knew it wasn't going to arrive.

"They were caught at Spago," Laura told Mildred on her way out to the garage. "I'm going there. Keep going with the search Mildred. And wait here for Mr. Steele's call."

"Don't worry honey. I'll be here." answered the secretary.

Laura drove through Santa Monica Blvd to Wilshire Blvd and turned to the right. She found the restaurant front door and got off the car in a rush. As the place was already open but still without customers yet; Laura found the maitre giving some instructions to the personal. She asked him about the Chef. The man showed her the way to the back door, where she would find the man. She stormed out from the place, and when she was arriving at the back door, the Chef was already outside waiting for her.

"Thank you for coming out to talk with me. I'm Laura Holt, Private Investigator; I'm looking for the Premium chocolate delivery man. "She told him showing him her badge.

"Patrick left around half an hour ago; he was with a new driver. They left the chocolate and left."

"Did they tell you their next destination, by any chance?"

"Well, Patrick mentioned something about Blue."

"Thank you very much." With that Miss Holt went to the Rabbit, and drove to the chocolate store. It was one of the most luxurious of the city, if not the most. If you wanted to send chocolates to a big screen star, Blue was the right place to go since the 40's.

Laura parked the car one block ahead of her destination. She decided to act like a customer, asking about the place and the chocolate. She got inside, and the aroma just overwhelmed her. It was heaven. The shop had several stylish showcases, every display showing a different chocolate color, and a variety of shapes, each one more beautiful than the other one. Her eyes were glued to the first shelf when she heard a female voice.

"Good afternoon young lady, how can I help you? What are you looking for?"

Laura lifted up her eyes from the chocolates with a significant effort, finding an old but very distinguished lady, Daisy, as she was able to read on her tag; smiling at her, dressed all in blue but wearing white gloves in her hands.

"Sorry, I got distracted." She answered chuckling shyly.

"It's perfectly reasonable, go on. They are worthy to look at. They are masterpieces, indeed. Our chocolate artisans work with them in the same way since Blue opened its doors, 40 years ago. Tell me if you find anyone you'd like to taste."

"I don't think that would be smart, but thank you anyway. I want to send a box to my sister." She told the lady. It was the first idea that crossed her mind.

"Perfect. Choose the box, and we will fill it with your selection," said the lady.

Laura followed the lady's gesturing hands and decided on the packaging. The woman looked for an empty box, and after grabbing a chocolate caliper, she stood in front of Laura, ready to fill it.

"I can't tell you which ones I want. Every one looks delicious. I think I'll trust in your taste."

The old lady started her job, and then Laura couldn't resist her intrigue and asked her, "Why are you wearing white gloves?"

"Oh, that. It's an old way to check if the temperature at the showcases is the correct one. If the gloves remain white until the end of the day, it means that it's ok. If the glove ends the day with chocolate spots, it means something is wrong with it."

She continued with her task, and looking at Laura's eyes still fixed in the box; the lady offered her a piece.

"Oh no, thank you. I should not…" Laura answered.

"It's fine. Taste this one." said the lady.

Laura was in the middle of a storm, trying to focus on the case that was hidden behind the chocolate, but she was losing the battle. Noticing a hand that seemed to be hers, she saw it was moving towards the chocolate, and once it had grabbed it, everything was lost. After putting it into her mouth, she closed her eyes and the masterpiece softly melted, making her exhale a sigh in satisfaction.

"It tastes like heaven…." It was the last thing she could think before her heaven turned into black.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Her eyelids were heavy. At last, she found the strength to open her eyes, and couldn't believe what she saw. She was in a room full of chocolate bars, looking very much alike as gold bars. But even looking like gold bars, she knew there was a dark brown pleasure inside the golden packaging.

Once she felt her feet again and leaving behind a little dizziness, she got up and took one of the bars in her hands. It looked fantastic, delicious, but at the same time, light. She heard someone coming, put the bar back in its place, and decided to fake to be still unconscious.

There were male voices, and someone carried her to another place. She finally opened her eyes after hearing a door closing, to find herself in the back of a truck, with Mr. Steele and Patrick beside her, both with their hands tied on their backs and their mouths sealed.

She got up, untied them, and shared with them a grateful smile for being again together before starting with her questions.

"What happened?" she asked them.

"We were outside Spago, I was on the phone talking with you, and someone took the headphone while threatening me with a gun from my back. We went to the truck, and once there I saw that they had Patrick already in it. They tied us, and we've been here since then." answered Mr. Steele. "What happened to you?" he asked her. Patrick was still recovering himself from the shock.

"I was inside of Blue…"

Mr. Steele interrupted her, "Blue…, the chocolate store? Oh, no…"

"Can I go on?" asked Laura seriously.

"Go on, sorry…"

"I was there following your steps, and a lovely lady was packing a box of ch…choc…choc…" she wasn't able to say the word.

"What's happening with her?" whispered a surprised Patrick to Mr. Steele.

"She is a chocoholic, Patrick. Skip the word Laura; come on love. What happened then?"

She followed attached to his suggestion, "The old lady gave me a piece to taste, and when I introduced it into my mouth, and it started to melt…, everything turned into black. I think someone hit me. My neck hurts."

"I knew something like that was going to happen. That's why I didn't want you near the chocolate, Laura. Your radar doesn't work well with a hint of chocolate surrounding you."

She closed her mouth, and not finding anything intelligent to tell him, she looked to another corner of the truck, while putting in place some hair on her nape with her left hand. He was right of course, but she didn't want to give him the reason, at last in public.

"Patrick, old chap, is it possible to open the truck door from inside?"

"Yes, there is a tool over there ready for a contingency."

"I'm grateful right now, but I don't know if I would like to hear this word again after closing this case…"

"But the door only opens when the truck is going under ten mph," added Patrick.

"Ok. Let's get us ready to jump." Mr. Steele took the tool, put it into the lock, and put some pressure on it. At last, when the vehicle speed turned under ten mph, the door opened, and they jumped. They got up from the pavement and started a race in the opposite direction of the truck.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

Mildred's fingers were racing as well but all over the keyboard. Blue was the target.

They recovered their breath after the runaway from Patrick's truck and called Fred to pick them up and take them to the office after looking for the Rabbit. Once the agency door opened ahead of them, Mildred's and Mr. Steele's eyes met, and he told her only one word, Blue. It had been enough for the secretary.

"I'm on this already, Boss." was her simple answer.

Once the papers started to pop up from the printer, she took them in her hands reading at a fast speed, looking for something juicy to start. "Bingo," she whispered. She sat down again, and a second round had her fingers bouncing on the keys back.

In the meantime, two Holts were with one Steele at his office, trying to make the pieces fit.

"Let me see if we forget something," said Laura. "You found a dead body in your truck last week. You decided to go to the Police Station, but once you arrived the dead body wasn't there anymore. You suspect you have been tailed more than once. A man showed you a gun. You waited to come to us because of Ralph's wedding. An intruder got into the loft, and you thought you killed him with a can, but the dead body disappeared again.

"Foul Play," said Mr. Steele.

"Set your mind on the case, Mr. Steele," suggested Laura.

"Foul Play; Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn, Paramount Pictures, 1978. A librarian becomes entangled in a complicated series of events, having supposed dead bodies popping up and disappearing around her before anybody can see them. The solution of the case remained hidden in a box of cigarettes that the first supposed dead body left in her purse."

Laura fixed her eyes on his until the information sank into her brain. "The chocolate, the key to close the case is in the chocolate the first dead body had in his hands."

"Why is she saying the word without trouble this time?" Patrick asked Mr. Steele in a whisper.

"Because her mind is so focused on the case that she is almost in a trance," Mr. Steele answered whispering as well.

"Oh."

"Are you sure that the chocolate you saw in that dead body's hand was a Delucchi one?" Laura asked Patrick.

"Well, I saw the package, and it was really like the Delucchi bars; the packaging looking like a gold bar."

"Wait!" she said. "I woke up at a room full of gold bars after they hit my head. But they were too light to be just…, you know…. Why is that I'm suspecting they are hiding something else inside those bars?"

At that very moment, Mildred came into the office. "You are not going to believe this…" she told them. Blue had been under serious economic trouble for a year. They were trying to maintain their old tradition while manufacturing the chocolate, but it resulted extremely expensive in the present days. They were sinking into liabilities with the bank, until one day. Bingo! They made a huge payment, and everything was left in the past."

"Do you know where the money came from, Mildred?" asked Mr. Steele.

"Delucchi, Joseph Delucchi bought a part of their business, 51% to be exact."

"That's it!" said Laura. "They took Blue front to hide the false bars. They could be able to use the deposit to stock their material there, under the correct temperature, avoiding any suspicion from anybody. As Premium chocolate was a Blue supplier, nobody would suspect from Delucchi." She finished her explanation with a snap of her fingers.

"We have to find the way to get into that deposit again," said Mr. Steele. "Since they already know us, I think this time we should work using a different strategy."

The plan followed its pattern with Laura acknowledging Mildred about the characteristics of the place; but by the time they were ready that day, it was late, and the shop was already closed. They would play their cards the following morning. After brief consideration, they concluded that the sleeping layout practiced the night before worked out in a right way, and there was no need to make any changes. So, Mildred and Patrick departed to the secretary's home, and Laura and Mr. Steele to Rossmore.

They stopped to pick up some Chinese Food and arrived at the condo exhausted. The lack of sleep was very noticeable after two consecutive nights, and adding to that the bad shape they were showing after jumping from the truck; they looked terrible. Laura took the first place in the shower. Dinner ran in a simple way, both of them sitting on the counter eating directly from the boxes. Once it was over, they made their way to the bedroom, Laura walking ahead of him. At the moment he was going to get into the bed he looked at her, "No abyss between us tonight, Laura?"

"It had been a long day. Let's go to bed…" was her answer.

They were cuddled in the dark, her back to his chest, his right hand resting on her belly, her right one over his; both of them immersed in their thoughts. After some minutes in silence, and knowing he wasn't asleep yet, she spoke.

"You were right last night. I wasn't the indicated one to go with you into that factory. At the shop, just at the moment I sensed this delightful aroma, my mind wasn't in charge anymore. My body didn't follow the orders my brain was sending. The Holt curse… Sometimes I ask myself why is that I can't go over it …"

"It's fine Laura. Everybody has their curses. And it's not bad to fight against them even while losing some of the times; the bad thing would be to surrender without giving a battle."

After a few silent seconds, he approached his face to her hair and, after inhaling deeply, his hand began to roam over her bare skin.

"I love your aroma, Laura."

"I didn't realize your hand had some exploration plans scheduled for tonight, Mr. Steele…"

"What hand? I think I'm falling under the spell of the Holt curse…"

"Why is that I suspect you didn't give a fight against this curse, Mr. Steele…"

"Because this time I knew the battle was lost before it was started, love. We will have to practice for a very long time until I find the way to get over it…"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

Thursday morning arrived with everybody in a better mood. Even Mildred, who was the one that would be playing the game at Blue, was excited about the possibilities. This time Patrick would have to wait alone at the office.

Miss Krebs arrived at the shop around 11, using a cab. Not the Rabbit, known by the kidnappers because Laura came driving it the previous day, or the limo with the agency plates would be safe enough. Mr. Steele and Laura were waiting across the street in the Auburn, with the top on. Because Mildred was going to be alone inside the shop, they had settled a bug in her purse. They were receiving the sound at the car. She got into the place, nothing outside the usual, and then a young man talked to her. The secretary followed the dialogue, and in some instance, she asked him, "Aren't you supposed to be wearing white gloves? I've been here a lot of times, and the lady behind the counter always wears a pair of them."

"Oh, Daisy; she is still attached to the old traditions."

"I was expecting to meet her this morning. She is always so kind…" said Mildred.

"She could not come today." was the short answer.

Once Mildred's box was ready, the man gave it to her, and she left the shop. Another cab took her back to Century City. Everybody met there, and after exchanging some opinions, they were sure that the old lady was innocent, and had been kidnapped at the same time as Laura was. They will have to get into the shop in the night to solve the mystery.

The day ran in slow motion. The only one energetically working was Mildred. She followed with her investigation, but this time the target was Delucchi's. The secretary was sure there was something hidden under a façade, and she was going to find it. After a long afternoon searching, she finally found a gap.

"Mr. Steele, Miss Holt; I think we've got It." was her announcement.

"One of the Delucchi's stores was having a very different evolution in his incomes from the other three. As the material they are selling is the same as the other three, to have their profits increased, they would have had an increase in their sales. The curious thing is that their volume sales were the same since four years ago; so the question is, what is different with this Delucchi's chocolate that makes it more profitable than the other's?"

"The filler inside," answered Laura. "I told you that those bars were lighter than usual. Give me some credit; I know something about ch…cho…choc…"

"Chocolate, Miss Holt." helped her Mr. Steele.

"I see you've got the idea, Mr. Steele. Thank you…"

"My pleasure," he answered.

Laura and Mr. Steele were ready to get inside the deposit that night when they found a whole unexpected scenario. There was a car outside the shop's back door, with its trunk full of boxes of gold bars. Mr. Steele gestured for Laura to take note of the car's plate. She nodded. Two men were leaning on the car's trunk talking when a third one appeared with another box. He gave it to the men, and after that, they closed the shop's door, got into the car and left.

Some minutes later after the car was out of sight, they were ready to get into action. As one of the men had locked the place from outside, Laura was sure that there was nobody left inside. They picked the lock and trying to be very silent they got into the deposit area. The place was dark, and the chocolate aroma could be inhaled even through the black masks they were wearing.

"Icy calm, Laura, icy calm," whispered Mr. Steele trying to reassure her.

"I'm ok; don't worry, still in control of my hands," she answered.

They crossed the dispatch area and found a corridor with several doors along it. With very careful motions they opened the several doors, one by one, seeing the toilettes, the manufacturing room, the shop itself, and finally the office. Just when they opened the door, their flashlight lightened two silhouettes in the dark. "Watch out, Laura!" was his warning.

Right then, they hid behind a desk. Noticing that nothing dangerous was going on after a few seconds, they decided to peer over it. Once their eyes were used to the dark place, Laura recognized one of them. "Daisy?" she asked.

Mr. Steele looked at her, and understanding what was happening, he stood up and went towards the old lady. The other silhouette was an old man. They untied them from the chairs and took off the handkerchiefs from their mouths.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Laura asked the old lady.

"It's Joseph Delucchi. He locked us. We were under some financial stress, and we sold him a part of our business, thinking that he was fond of our chocolate factory; but he only wanted to use us like a façade for some illegal activities. My husband Robert and I were suspecting something unusual was happening when he asked for a massive order from Premium Chocolate. He put the material aside and brought some men to handle it in the night. When we tried to work using some of the bars, we realized that there was no more, and the only one available wasn't in the usual packaging. There were some Delucchi bars, although, in its typical wrap; but there was another amount that was all mixed up in a chocolate pail, totally unwrapped and broken. It wasn't the quality standard we were used working with.

"Those were the bars I saw in that room..." said Laura.

"I presume they were. When Robert told him that he was noticing something unusual, they threatened us and told us that it was going to be over in a week. So, we kept our mouths shut, but then yesterday you came into the shop. I never suspected they were going to kidnap you! After they hit you on your head, they took me inside and tied me beside Robert." Daisy finished.

"It's okay. We are going to let you free in a moment Daisy," told her Mr. Steele.

They followed the way out, and in a minute Patrick was picking them up in the Rabbit."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

They were comfortably relaxed on the couch, ready to let the movie start; when the phone rang.

He stood up, and answered, "Steele here." was his short answer. "Yes, Mildred…"

At this moment Laura looked at him rolling her eyes, not believing that even being in the middle of the evening, Mildred could still be in the middle. He remained there for a couple of minutes listening to their beloved secretary. Once the call was over, he returned to the couch, and sat down beside her, refocusing in his prior task.

"The Police caught Delucchi. It seems that he was interested in becoming an investment salesman into the electronic industry, but he forgot to pay for his hardware. The Police found two dead bodies at Delucchi's store basement."

"Our not existent dead bodies?" asked Laura.

"Yes. I suppose an apology to Patrick is in order, Miss Holt."

He worked with the video player, getting the movie ready to start.

"You know, I would have never supposed that a pair of white gloves were going to be one of the keys to solve the case," she told him.

"Hmm…" was his response. His focus was on the TV. "Foul Play," he said finally getting the movie started.

"Foul Play?" asked a surprised Laura.

"Yes, Laura. I supposed this movie would show us a different way to solve a case dangerously similar to our last one."

The movie started, and after a few minutes, a song caught Laura's attention. "I love this song… Ready to retake a chance…" and she cuddled closer to him. "Would you bring the Blue box?" she asked him.

"I think you've had enough chocolate for one day, Laura. Half of the box seems to be more than accurate. Perhaps I should find something else less dangerous to get your mind interested in…"

"Mr. Steele…" said Laura sitting up on the couch with intent, "I'm warning you … Never, never stand between a girl and her favorite ch…cho…choc…"

"Chocolates?" asked him showing her a wicked grin. "Come on Miss Holt, are you threatening me?"

"I'm just giving you a warning…"

But he didn't want to waste more time talking and pulled her towards him. Once their lips were inches away, she told him, "Foul Play."

"I have a warning as well, Laura; never, ever stand between a thief and his favorite jewel."

"You're good."

And the movie went on…


End file.
